Tuesdays with Tundra is an ongoing series featuring our new releases. This title is now available in stores and online!
Sweet Babe! By Robin Rosenthal 32 Pages | Ages 2-5 | Hardcover ISBN 9781774884324 | Tundra Books Look at this baby . . . what a genius! And such a shayne punim, too! From the top of baby’s adorable head to the tips of their toes, there’s nothing for a grandma not to adore in her little bubbeleh. Sweet Babe takes babies and their bubbies, not to mention grandparents of every stripe, on a delightful read-aloud journey that practically cries out for frequent cheek-squishing and keppie (head)-kissing in this irresistible celebration of the connection between grandparent and grandchild, and of Jewish joy through the generations. Includes a Yiddish glossary at the back with transliterated vocabulary.
We can’t wait to see you reading this title! If you share this book online, remember to use #ReadTundra in your hashtags so that we can re-post.
Established in 1998 by the Cooperative Children’s Book Center (CCBC), the Charlotte Zolotow Award is given annually for outstanding writing in a picture book published in the United States in the preceding year with up to five honor books and up to ten highly commended titles also selected. The award is named to honor the work of Charlotte Zolotow, a distinguished children’s book editor for 38 years, and author of more than 70 picture books.
We would like to congratulate X. Fang whose picture book, We Are Definitely Human, has been selected as a 2025 Highly Commended Title.
We Are Definitely Human By X. Fang 48 Pages | Ages 4-8 | Hardcover ISBN 9781774882023 | Tundra Books When three mysterious visitors from “Europe” crash-land in Mr. Li’s field, he does what any good host would: he invites them back to his farmhouse and offers to help fix up their “car”. No, there’s nothing strange about these guests at all. Just like other humans, they “make business”, “play sportsball” and “wear hat”. As the townsfolk also come to the aid of the visitors and the gathering turns into a little party, interplanetary relations reach an all-time high. A sweetly funny extraterrestrial offering that explores surprising acts of kindness and acceptance, X. Fang’s second picture book is truly out of this world.
Tuesdays with Tundra is an ongoing series featuring our new releases. This title is now available in stores and online!
The Big Splash: Julia on the Go! #2 Written by Angela Ahn Illustrated by Julie Kim 176 Pages | Ages 7-10 | Hardcover ISBN 9781774882078 | Tundra Books Julia is dismayed to learn that Coach Marissa has to leave the Vipers swim team for an urgent family matter. Coach Nathan, their new temporary coach, is strict and humorless. He doesn’t even let them have Splash Time! And it’s not just Julia who’s upset – two of her teammates have even quit the team. So it’s no surprise that the team is not enthusiastic when Coach Nathan asks them to put together a car wash fundraiser for the team. But then they learn that there’s going to be a big increase in pool rental fees, which means the Vipers may lose practice days, or worse, not be able to swim at all. Julia takes the lead and gets the Vipers organized. Along the way, she learns more about her nemesis, teammate Olivia, and even Coach Nathan. Maybe first impressions aren’t always the most accurate.
The Big Splash is also available today in audiobook!
We can’t wait to see you reading this title! If you share this book online, remember to use #ReadTundra in your hashtags so that we can re-post.
At Tundra Books, we want you to get to know and love our creators as much as you know and love their books. Our creator spotlight series will launch you into the universe of the brilliant minds behind some of your favorite titles . . . this week, say hello to X. Fang!
About the Author:
X. FANG, who also goes by Susan, is a visual artist and maker of books for young readers, including Dim Sum Palace, winner of the 2023 Society of Illustrators’ Dilys Evans Founder’s Award among other honors, and We Are Definitely Human, an Indie Next Pick and the recipient of 5 starred reviews. She exhibits her art throughout the U.S. and internationally and has worked professionally as a graphic designer and art director for film and television studios. Born in Taichung, Taiwan, raised in Atlanta, Georgia, she now lives in rural Maine with her husband, son and their dog, Pamela.
Spotlight on X. Fang:
What inspired you to write a story about an alien invasion with a humorous twist? Can you share any particularly funny moments or lines from the book that you enjoyed writing?
Before I had a story, I had the title: We Are Definitely Human. A few years back, my hair stylist was telling me about a conspiracy theory that claims lizard people lived among us and how some have even infiltrated the highest levels of government. That was such a funny idea to me that I immediately repeated it to my husband and we had a great time imagining terrible disguises these lizard people could wear. Then I had a thought: what if instead of disguising themselves they did nothing and just insisted they were human. I love the idea of someone pretending to be something they are very obviously not.
What was the process like for creating the visual humor in the illustrations?
It was important for the three “humans” to really stand out in town. So I tried to give them silly shapes, loud colors, and gestures and actions that were awkward. There were so many opportunities for humor whenever the “humans” interacted with the town people just in the subtle facial expressions and body language. It was a lot of fun.
The book explores themes of kindness and acceptance. What message do you hope readers, both young and old, take away from this story?
Kindness can be expressed in many forms. In this case, kindness is expressed through a helping hand. I hope the big takeaway that readers get from this story is that kindness is not conditional, and even the tiniest act of kindness can ripple through the galaxy.
How has the reception been for We Are Definitely Human, and what feedback have you received from readers? Have there been any particularly touching or memorable responses from children or parents about the book?
The feedback has been wonderful. Kids love the various jobs held by these interesting “humans” and the adults love the message of kindness. I had one kid ask me if I was an alien, and I replied that I was “definitely human” but they remained skeptical.
Can you give us any hints about what’s next for you in terms of future picture books or other book projects?
I’m finishing up my third book. It’s called Broken and it’s a about a little girl, her grandma, a cup, a cat, and cake. After that I get to illustrate an amazing story written by the very clever Mac Barnett.
Books by X. Fang:
We Are Definitely Human By X. Fang 48 Pages | Ages 4-8 | Hardcover ISBN 9781774882023 | Tundra Books When three mysterious visitors from “Europe” crash-land in Mr. Li’s field, he does what any good host would: he invites them back to his farmhouse and offers to help fix up their “car”. No, there’s nothing strange about these guests at all. Just like other humans, they “make business”, “play sportsball” and “wear hat”. As the townsfolk also come to the aid of the visitors and the gathering turns into a little party, interplanetary relations reach an all-time high. A sweetly funny extraterrestrial offering that explores surprising acts of kindness and acceptance, X. Fang’s second picture book is truly out of this world.
Dim Sum Palace By X. Fang 48 Pages | Ages 3-7 | Hardcover ISBN 9781774881989 | Tundra Books Liddy is so excited about going to the Dim Sum Palace tomorrow with her family that she can’t sleep. So when a delicious smell wafts into her room, she hops out of bed, opens her door and steps into . . . an actual palace of dim sum! There are dumplings, baos, buns and more delicious treats than one girl can possibly eat. Liddy just has to take a bite, but she slips and falls . . . into a bowl of dumpling filling. The chefs are so busy rolling, folding and pinching dough that they don’t notice they’ve prepared a most unusual dumpling for the Empress – a Liddy dumpling! Worst of all, she looks good enough to eat . . .
Tuesdays with Tundra is an ongoing series featuring our new releases. This title is now available in stores and online!
Fantastic Lou By Qin Leng 96 Pages | Ages 5-9 | Hardcover ISBN 9781774885673 | Tundra Books Meet Lou. Lou is many things: clever, creative, competitive, thoughtful, funny . . . and, most of all, FANTASTIC! He meets life’s ups and downs with courage, curiosity and a plucky openheartedness. He enjoys his own thoughts and solo company but is always ready to dance, wrestle, wriggle, somersault and karate chop his way into his parents’ day (or night). With the sweetest touch and most expressive lines, Qin Leng perfectly captures the emotional essence of young childhood, while offering a celebration of imaginative play and fantasy worlds. From his bedtime antics and rock ‘n’ roll moves, to his bathtub heroics and toilet musings, Lou will utterly charm readers of all ages.
We can’t wait to see you reading this title! If you share this book online, remember to use #ReadTundra in your hashtags so that we can re-post.
